Giving up his gubernetorial dreams, he has moved to Virgina and is thought to be interested in running for Congress "or even the Senate", according to many reports. Davis has also embraced
voter suppression laws as his signature issue. Republican-controlled
legislatures from coast to coast—most notably in Florida, Texas and
Wisconsin—have attempted to pass these laws to suppress voter turnout
among Blacks, Latinos and youth. "Giddy at their unexpected good
fortune, Republicans awarded Davis a prime speaking slot at the
Republican convention," noted BusinessWeek.

Just like Sheree Whitfield thought her diva-like behavior would never be challenged—"Who’s gonna check me, boo?"—the former congressman boasted Tuesday night about voting against the best interests of his former congressional district. "We don't need a party that has led while poverty and hunger rose to record levels to give us lectures about suffering," said Davis to applause.

It takes a certain originality for a Black man to stand before an audience of 50,000 mostly White Republicans and lecture Democrats on “poverty and hunger.” It was the Republican Party that gutted food stamps and child nutrition policy—remember when the Reagan Administration wanted to classify ketchup as a "vegetable" in school lunches? Davis owed his political career to the Voting Rights Act—and it takes even more nerve for him to make suppressing voting rights his signature issue.

Funeke Soldaat, founder of lesbian group Free Gender [said] Mandisa Mbambo, who identified as a lesbian was brutally killed in Kwazulu Natal on 26th August. She was killed in her home and the body found under. She was 28 years old. Funeka says the deceased had her pants off. Nobody has been arrested so far with the murder.

There has been speculation that the deceased may have been raped. The results of the autopsy have not been released yet.

Same-sex acts are currently illegal in at least 38 of 54 African countries. Four nations—Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan—boast the death penalty for gays
or same-sex activity. South Africa and Seychelles are the only African
nations that protect LGBT rights. SA is also the only African
nation to guarantee marriage equality and gay adoption.

Television depictions of the LGBT community are overwhelmingly white and male, according to the sixth annual Network Responsibility Index released by GLAAD. Some sixty-nine percent of LGBT impressions on broadcast networks are made by gay men. Two-thirds of those "broadcast hours showcas[e] white people," notes the report.

CW remains the top broadcast network for LGBT impressions and the most diversity—thanks to programming such as America's Next Top Model and The L.A. Complex , with its intriguing gay storyline around a closeted rapper. "29% of its primetime programming hours [is] LGBT-inclusive. The CW also registered the most racial diversity with 62% of impressions made by LGBT people/characters of color."

For the fourth year in a row CBS remained in last place with 8% LGBT-inclusive hours of primetime programming, dropping 2 percentage points from last year. The leading cable network is Showtime with some 46% of its programming LGBT inclusive. Others include ABC Family (34%), TNT (34%) and HBO (33%).

One final note and disturbing note:

"Transgender representation continues to be low on nearly every television network. Transgender inclusive hours recorded on broadcast television went from 0.002% last year to 0.01% this year, the number also remained extremely low for the cable networks tracked at 0.005%. Transgender storylines are often exploitative and overtly negative"

The report surveyed primetime programming on the five broadcast networks and original primetime programming on 10 major cable networks. The full report HERE.

Excellent news. There is a guilty plea in the federal hate crimes case of the Detroit man targeted in a horrible anti-gay assault in March 2011. Twenty-three-year-old Justin Alesna suffered a shattered eye socket after he says witnesses "gawked and laughed" after he was brutally attacked at a gas station.

Avery faces up to 10 years in prison when he’s sentenced in November. ... Justin Alesna, who spoke to the Free Press after the assault, went to the BP to buy cigarettes and was standing in line behind Avery. Avery used an anti-gay slur and told him to move back because he believed Alesna was gay, the plea deal stated.

Avery hurled profanities and other homosexual slurs before punching Alesna in the face, the document stated. The two had never met before, and Avery knew nothing about the victim except that he assumed Alesna was gay, the document indicated.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Foley, whose Detroit office investigated Avery, said this case should send a message to the community. "The FBI is committed to protecting the community from those who are motivated by hate to victimize anyone as the result of their sexual orientation," Foley said.

To add insult to the already very serious injuries, the store owner reportedly told Alesna "to leave the store" when he asked for help.

29 August 2012

Very good news. Frank Ocean's June 9 television debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon was apparently so successful that NBC has decided to entrust him with their marquee musical performance slot. Ocean has been announced as the musical guest on 38th season premiere of Saturday Night Live on September 15th. Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane will host.

That will happen only nine days after another high profile television gig. The hip-hop singer/songwriter has been announced to perform September 6 at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, where his "Swim Good" video is nominated in three categories. Rihanna will also perform.

"I'm happy when I wake up in the morning, and not with this freakin' boulder on my chest," said Ocean. "I wished at 13 there was somebody I looked up to who would have said something like that, who would have been transparent in that way."

channel ORANGE marks the first time an out artist has topped the R&B or hip-hop charts.

Meles seized power in 1991 from a military junta that had achieved global infamy for policies that contributed to the famine, starvation and death of more than a million people. As many as 500,000 people alone were killed during Mengistu Haile Mariam’s violent political campaign known as the "Red Terror" of the late 1970s. This was after the despotic 44-year-rule of Emperor Haile Selassie that Mengistu overthrew in 1974.

Meles' two decades in power pales in comparison to the
horrors of his predecessors. Meles also presided "over one of the most
successful...economic experiments" in Africa, reports The Economist. Ethiopia’s economic growth has averaged 11 percent in the past eight years.

All of this was obvious in my first visit to Ethiopia in December 2011, when I reported
from the high-level International Conference on AIDS and STIs in
Africa. The trip was sponsored by the Ethiopian government. Construction
cranes dotted Addis Ababa’s skyline. Range Rovers and Mercedes Benzes
were a familiar sight on Bole Road. Impeccably dressed men and women
chatted away on iPhones and BlackBerrys. But at what cost?

More reporting from Africa in the months ahead. Read the full EBONY article HERE.

"I can’t relate to being gay. It was a challenging role. It's challenging because I'm Black," said Hardwick, who was quoted as repeatedly saying that he focused on "being a deviant person."

Shadow and Act: How was it a challenge?

OH: It was a challenging role for me because I am a black guy. And white guys like Heath Ledger and Jake
Gyllenhaal can play those types of roles and their audiences will say
that the roles are artistic.

Shadow and Act: So you feel that the role was challenging because the black community does not support roles like Carl?

OH: The black culture perceives roles like that one in a negative light.

Shadow and Act: How did you prepare for that role?

OH: I focused on being a deviant person. I
focused on doing something wrong. I was lying to my wife. I was lying
to these men. I prepared for the role by closing my eyes and thinking of
times when I had lied.

Shadow and Act: You did not focus on the sexual orientation of Carl to get into character?

OH: No, because it’s like how could I do that really well? I focused on being deviant.

Shadow and Act: Did you tap into your own sexuality to build the role?

OH: You want me to explain how I used my heterosexuality to build this role?

Shadow and Act: Yes, I do.

OH: Okay, let me know if this is what you
mean. There was this one time while we were filming in New York, where I
was testing myself. I challenged myself to run through Central Park and
behave like Carl. I wanted to see how I would run and live differently
as my character.

Shadow and Act: And what did you find out about your character during this run?

OH: I did not get through the run without
checking out women. It’s a natural instinct. So, that’s why I solely
focused on being deviant. But you know what? Some of the greatest actors
have played gay men. Anthony [Mackie] has played a gay man. Jeffrey has played
gay. When it’s all said and done, I am secure enough with my manhood to
say to the world, 'I am a male actor, and its okay for me to play a gay
man.'

Does it sound like Hardwick is very "secure" in his manhood? Sounds like he repeatedly is stressing that he is straight. Not sure why—well, okay. Did he mean that white actors can take on gay roles without negative repercussions ... and not Black actors not so much?

And why keep using the word "deviant"? Gay men—closeted or otherwise—are not "deviant." Perhaps he meant or said "devious" and this was just a poorly transcribed—and poorly written—article.